POV Luella
The surprise picnic Tobias had prepared took my breath away. In the castle's most secluded garden, he'd created a private paradise just for me. Silk cushions were arranged on soft blankets, surrounded by my favorite white roses. Delicate pastries waited on silver platters.
He remembered that I love white roses. He planned all of this.
"Do you like it?" Tobias asked, his brown eyes warm with anticipation.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, truly meaning it. "You did all this for me?"
The artificial mate bond hums with contentment. This is what I should want.
"Only the best for my future queen," he replied, pulling me close as the sun set in golden hues around us.
He kissed me with passionate tenderness, his hands gentle but possessive as they traced the curves of my body through my silk dress. "You look so beautiful in this light," he whispered against my lips.
His touch feels safe. Warm. Everything Kyrell's isn't.
As the stars appeared above us, Tobias made love to me slowly on the soft cushions. His devotion was expressed through every caress and kiss, his patient exploration of my body making me feel worshipped and cherished.
This is perfect. This is what love should feel like.
The artificial bond amplified every sensation, making his touch feel like home and his whispered promises of forever seem natural. Our physical connection was so satisfying that I fell asleep in his arms feeling completely content and loved.
My wolf is satisfied. This is right. This is how it should be.
But my perfect evening was shattered the next morning when Kyrell cornered me in an empty corridor.
No. Not now. I don't want to deal with him.
His black eyes were twisted with disgust as he looked at me, taking in what I realized must be obvious signs of my romantic night. The satisfied glow still radiating from my skin, the marks Tobias had left on my throat.
He can smell Tobias on me. He knows what we did.
"You look like a well-used whore," he snarled, his words designed to cut deep and destroy my beautiful memories.
How dare he. How dare he reduce what Tobias and I shared to something dirty.
Heat flooded my cheeks, but I lifted my chin defiantly. "What Tobias and I do is none of your business."
"Isn't it?" Kyrell's smile was vicious. "It's pathetic, really. Look at you, basking in his attention like some desperate puppy. You're so starved for approval that you'll spread your legs for anyone who shows you basic kindness."
He's trying to hurt me. To make me ashamed of something beautiful.
"You're disgusting," I shot back, my wolf snarling inside me.
"Am I?" He stepped closer, his scent dark and threatening. "Or am I just honest? You're so needy, so desperate to be loved, that you can't see how pathetic you look."
He's wrong. What Tobias and I have is real.
"At least I'm capable of love," I said, my voice shaking with anger. "At least I'm not some bitter, twisted creature who destroys everything good around him."
Kyrell's laugh was cold and cruel. "Love? Is that what you call it? You're deluding yourself if you think what my brother feels for you is anything more than possession."
That's not true. Tobias loves me. He's gentle and kind and—
"You make me sick," Kyrell continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow hurt more than shouting. "Standing there with his marks all over you, pretending this is some grand romance when you're just another conquest for his collection."
"Why?" I demanded, my composure finally cracking. "Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?"
I saved him from false accusations. I defended him when no one else would.
Kyrell's black eyes glittered with something that looked almost like pain before it was replaced by pure venom.
"I hate you because you're everything weak and disgusting about people who beg for love," he said, each word hitting like a physical blow. "You make me sick."
His words shouldn't have this power over me. They shouldn't hurt this much.
But they did hurt. They cut deeper than any blade, leaving me shaking with rage and humiliation. My wolf whimpered inside me, wounded by the cruelty in his voice.
Why does he have this power over me? Why can someone so cruel destroy my happiness with just words?
"You're pathetic," he continued, seemingly enjoying my pain. "A weak little girl playing at being strong, but underneath you're just desperate for someone to tell you you're worth something."
Stop. Please stop.
"The truth is, you're not worth anything," Kyrell said, his voice soft and deadly. "You're just a political arrangement with legs, and my brother will discard you the moment you stop being useful."
That's not true. It can't be true.
But doubt crept in despite my efforts to push it away. Was I really just desperate for love? Was I pathetic for wanting someone to care about me?
No. He's wrong. He's cruel and twisted and he's trying to poison what I have with Tobias.
"You're wrong," I said, though my voice came out weaker than I intended. "Tobias loves me."
"Does he?" Kyrell's smile was razor-sharp. "Or does he love the idea of owning something that belongs to him completely?"
Why is he doing this? Why does he want to hurt me so badly?
Before I could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the corridor with his poisonous words echoing in my mind.
He's wrong. He has to be wrong.
But as I touched the tender marks on my throat that had felt like badges of love just hours before, I couldn't shake the terrible doubt he'd planted in my mind.
What if he's right? What if I am just desperate and pathetic?
My wolf paced restlessly, confused by the conflict between my happiness with Tobias and the pain Kyrell's words had caused.
Why does someone I should despise have such power over me? Why do his opinions matter when they shouldn't?
I had no answers, only the echo of his cruel voice and the growing fear that maybe, just maybe, he was right about what I really was.
Weak. Desperate. Pathetic.
The words followed me as I walked away, tainting the memory of my perfect night with Tobias and leaving me questioning everything I thought I knew about myself.